Public Information Specialist Family
Career series with 10 positions across 4 levels
New Jersey classifies Public Information Specialist as a 4-level family, 10 titles in all, built for step-by-step advancement.
Entry is typically through Public Information Specialist 1 Ols, advancing through the ladder toward Public Information Specialist 4. State payroll records show 12 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Legislature.
Public Information Specialist reports to supervising titles such as Supervising Program Development Specialist and Senior Environmental Health Specialist.
Specializations
Positions in This Family
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 4 (10182)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 2 (10185)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 1 OLS (10701)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 2 OLS (10702)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 3 OLS (10703)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 4 OLS (10704)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 1 DIGITAL CONTENT (10911)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 2 DIGITAL CONTENT (10912)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 3 DIGITAL CONTENT (10913)
- PUBLIC INFORMATION SPECIALIST 4 DIGITAL CONTENT (10914)
What the Public Information Specialist family covers
Public Information Specialist covers 10 title codes arranged into 4 levels of responsibility. The family straddles jurisdictions: 6 state and 4 local, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
These titles are the state's outward face: press and public information, tourism promotion, economic development, business assistance and the customer service counters at the agencies the public actually deals with. Several of them, particularly the government representative series, are unclassified catch-alls used across many departments for very different jobs, so the title tells you less about the work than usual. Salary comparisons across agencies are correspondingly unreliable for that group.
What each title does
Reading the definitions side by side is the quickest way to see what changes as you move through the family.
- Public Information Specialist 4: The Civil Service Commission lists this title code but publishes no job specification for it. The classification shown here comes from the official title…
- Public Information Specialist 2: The Civil Service Commission lists this title code but publishes no job specification for it. The classification shown here comes from the official title…
- Public Information Specialist 1 Ols: The Civil Service Commission lists this title code but publishes no job specification for it. The classification shown here comes from the official…
- Public Information Specialist 2 Ols: The Civil Service Commission lists this title code but publishes no job specification for it. The classification shown here comes from the official…
- Public Information Specialist 3 Ols: The Civil Service Commission lists this title code but publishes no job specification for it. The classification shown here comes from the official…
- Public Information Specialist 4 Ols: The Civil Service Commission lists this title code but publishes no job specification for it. The classification shown here comes from the official…
- Public Information Specialist 1 Digital Content: Under the close supervision of a Public Information Specialist 4, Digital Content or other supervisory official in a local…
- Public Information Specialist 2 Digital Content: Under the limited supervision of a Public Information Specialist 4, Digital Content or other supervisory official in a local…
Showing 8 of 10 published definitions in this family. The full list of titles is below.
Requirements across the family
Across the 10 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a bachelor's degree on 4 of them. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 5 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 4 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination and 6 are unclassified, which means appointment at the employer's discretion and salary set individually.
Who actually employs these titles
12 people appear on the state payroll under 4 of these titles, at 1 agency. Legislature alone accounts for about 100% of them.
- Legislature — 12 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $55,432 for Public Information Specialist 1 Ols up to $77,605 for Public Information Specialist 4 Ols. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
No state salary schedule applies here, because these are local titles. Pay is set by each adopting county, municipality or authority under its own ordinance or negotiated agreement, so two employers using the same title code can pay very differently. How local civil service pay works.
Where these jobs exist
Because the family mixes jurisdictions, the answer to "who hires this" depends on the specific code. State codes run through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process; local codes are hired by the counties, municipalities and authorities that adopted civil service under Title 11A. Check an employer's status before assuming a title is available where you live.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Other classifications built on the same terms as Public Information Specialist. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Public Information Specialist Trainee, Digital Content (local jurisdiction)
- Public Information Officer (local jurisdiction)
- Public Information Officer (local jurisdiction)
- Public Information Officer ($62,091 to $86,926, state jurisdiction)
- Public Information Assistant (local jurisdiction)
- Public Information Assistant ($58,222 to $84,763, state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Public Information Specialist jobs
How many separate Public Information Specialist classifications does New Jersey have?
The Public Information Specialist family holds 10 title codes arranged across 4 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Public Information Specialist paid?
No state salary schedule figure is published for the titles in this family, which is normal for local classifications. Local civil service employers set their own pay by ordinance or negotiated agreement, so the rate depends on which county, municipality or authority is hiring.
Is there a civil service test for Public Information Specialist?
Mostly no. 6 of the 10 titles here are unclassified, so appointment is at the employer's discretion rather than from an eligible list, and salary is set individually rather than by a published step. That also makes cross-agency salary comparison less reliable for these titles.
What are the requirements to become a Public Information Specialist?
The most common education requirement in this family is a bachelor's degree, named on 4 of the 10 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 5 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Public Information Specialist staff?
State payroll records show 12 people in this family across 1 agency, with Legislature the largest at 12. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.